The Jazz Age
You might think that working in the Archive would be a mundane, dusty existence with little of excitement to trouble the routine days of cataloguing and accounting for long lost relatives. In fact, the role brings with it incredible journeys of discovery and some sleuthing which brings much pleasure as the mists of time are cleared and a wonderful chapter in the life of the school emerges.
An Allotment in Croxley Green
Former Second Master, Dr Tim Stubbs, was enjoying his retirement, quietly minding his onions on his allotment in Croxley Green, when he was approached by a mysterious man with a package. The man recognised Tim as a former member of staff and handed over what turned up to be a vinyl from another era.
Tim passed the record to his wife, Joan, who is a member of the Music Department, and it quickly found its way to the School Archive. This set in motion the twin aims of digitising the tracks to make them available to the Merchant Taylors’ community, and to try to find the story of the musicians.
The sound of the Boodle-Am-Shakers
The record yielded several tracks which are now available as part of the MTS Sound Archive. Listen to the recordings on YouTube below:
White Space
White Space
A search of the Taylorian revealed that the recording dates to the late-1950s when Jazz was very much part of the MTS way of life, as alluded to in the notes of the MTS music society.
With the names of the artists helpfully on the record, and confirmed in the Taylorian, it was possible to track down some of them to ask for their memories.
David Young and David Parry were able to fill in the story.
David Young (Hilles 1955-1959)
"In 1955/6, when I joined MTS, the school mass band was The Doctor Jazz Stompers, led by trombonist, Dick Wilcox, who went on to be a radio producer for shows such as Terry Wogan and Billy Cotton. The cornet was Martin Dell, clarinet Larry Cavan, Banjo Nicco Thewles, Drums Terry Brady (who took over from Alan Bennett in Beyond the Fringe) and last, but by no means least, John Eastcott, on double-bass. Most of them were from The Manor of the Rose, as was David Parry who I believe, although younger, often played either piano or guitar. I think he still plays both!
When the others left to do their National Service or go to university, John Eastcott started a skiffle group. I have a picture of USA performing, probably at the Pinner Festival, which shows John Eastcott (Double Bass), Bill Thomas (Vocal - at that time he was so shy he was virtually hiding behind John but he went on to be Jimmy Young’s “Legal-Eagle” on BBC Radio 2), Paul Clark (Snare drum), then Nigel Carter, self, and David Parry on guitars.
After this, John recruited the only trombonist in the school, Neil McLaren, Dick Richardson (another Manorian) on clarinet, Roger Cressy – banjo with Nigel – and Paul Bailey on drums. During the school holidays, a non-MTS friend of Paul Bailey, Simon Carpenter, who was older, played clarinet, and he plays on the tracks you have digitised.
The Shakers sometimes played the interval spot at Rickmansworth Jazz Club, very much encouraged by the leader of Steve Lane’s Southern Stompers, the resident band.
John entered the band for the Pinner Festival, and we won the cup in our class. Unfortunately, the organiser had assumed from the Manor of the Rose address that we were entering as an official school band, which was not our intention. Someone complained that our clarinet player was obviously not a schoolboy and Mr Lloyd, Housemaster of The Manor, insisted we be disqualified post hoc, as it were.
As I recall, John Bales at Revolution Studios in Pinner, made the recordings. When we arrived, we found that the piano was a full semitone flat. We gamely tuned-down (cardboard around the clarinet barrel, the tuning slide fell off Neil’s trombone at one point) but the result was not up to our usual standard.
Some years later John Eastcott produced a CD from recordings of the Doctor Jazz Stompers, the Shakers and the Lawson-Turner Big-Band which Dick Wilcox had formed with some other contacts after we had left MTS."
David Parry (Manor of the Rose 1954-1959)
Circuit Judge, David Parry, also has fond memories of the ‘Jazz Age’ and was able to dig out a couple of photos from a performance in the Great Hall.
"Yes! I was the mystery pianist!
What fun to hear it again! It still has a cheerful enthusiasm and drive…perhaps not quite always matched with the musicality! Some of us later ‘evolved‘ into a folk-cum-skiffle group called Carter's Crowd.
John Eastcott (sadly deceased) and I were great friends in the Manor of the Rose, and also played Cricket and Rugby for Merchant Taylors' School and the Old Merchant Taylors. I captained the school 1st XV in 1958/9.
I graduated from Cambridge, became a solicitor, and later a Circuit Judge. John joined Mobil. David Young joined his family firm Vitavox supplying sound equipment for Wembley Stadium and elsewhere. Nigel became a surveyor. Paul Bailey moved abroad for ages but has now returned to England."
In his letter, Dave Young reminisced about the interest in Jazz during the late-1950s and hoped that it was still alive at Merchant Taylors’ today. The good news is that the school continues to have a Dixieland and Jazz band, who play regularly at school events under the leadership of the Music Department.
The jazz groups of Dave Young’s time, self-starters and evolutionary into a myriad of groups, have now evolved into rock groups, displaying a wealth of talent and musicianship which extends beyond the school and is often showcased at the Phab gig each spring.
If you have any recordings or vinyl that we can add to the MTS Sound Archive then do please email us. We have the capacity to digitise vinyl and tape and can return precious items.
Jonny Taylor
